September 26, 2006

Has Baehr Lost Control?

The latest embarrassments at the Lowell School Department only point in one direction: at the top. Superintendent of Schools Karla Brooks Baehr is clearly not paying attention to what is going on in the public school system.
When the head of the Math Department turns out to be an alleged serial stalker, domestic abuser and incest freak and the principal of the Rogers Schools lacks the good judgment to contact police about the discovery of two .357 Magnum bullets in his building, you have to wonder who is hiring these people and who is ingraining the right - or wrong - values in them?

May contention for a while is that Dr. Baehr is good with education theory and launching intitiatives, but she has no practical knowledge of what Lowell is and what Lowell needs. After six years, Baehr has no true connection to Lowell and its people. She has no stake in its traditions or its culture. She came here to build a major success story, backed by a resume of success at school systems of lesser challenges and the liberal education elititists in this city. But after six years leading the Lowell school system, where are the success stories? We now have 18 failing schools under Baehr's watch and a ton of initiatives under her belt that don't seem to be pushing things forward.

The state has poured nearly $850 million into Lowell since the 1992 Education Reform Act, and Lowell taxpayers have responded by building 16 new schools? Obviously, some of the major union complaints about the schools - a lack of financial resources - have been erased (although the union and the Citywide Parents Council don't seem to ever have enough money to burn.) You have to ask yourself: where does the root cause of the lack of progress lie? And when is enough enough?

Baehr has given the teachers' union everything it has wanted. In fact, she has a too cozy relationship with Paul Georges, the United Teachers of Lowell president who has outwitted Baehr and the School "Committee at every turn. And, no doubt, he is going to outwit and outlast Baehr and the school board this time around in contract negotiations. According to my sources, the school board will gladly give the union a 1 percent raise this year for a 4 percent raise in year two.. What good will that do the kids who don't even have new textbooks or computers while teachers keep fattening their pensions and benefit packages? There is no sense of balance in the school system. The don't know how to say "no."

Baehr has to take responsibility for the lack of advancement in the schools. Imagine, with all the money being spent in K-8, the number of kids heading to the high school who are reading at a Grade 4 level has increased over the past two years, going from 19 percent to 24 percent! How can a superintendent be satisfied with that decline.

Basically, it tells me that Baehr is not paying attention to the details in her school system. She likes to tavel to meetings outside the district and meet with DOE officials where they can talk about new initiatives. Baehr can talk the talk that all education officials can relate too. They like her. They praise her. But for all her talk, nothing is getting done right on the home front. Baehr is failing to connect the dots. And the frustration is starting to show in staff and administrators. Certainly, the union won't give her a break, as shown by their refusal to go along with the superintendent's recommendation for a longer school day. This is what Baehr gets for coddling the union so long. Baehr herself must be frustrated with the union and the lack of progress in the schools.

Sadly, I could see this coming. I've been writing about it for several years now. Some of the education elitists, and certainly the union leadership, like to say I'm anti-education. But if I were anti-education, I wouldn't be writing so passionately about the subject. The fact is, Baehr is an outsider who has brought in a lot of outsiders as principals, administrators, and teachers. More than three-fourths of all teachers don't live in Lowell. Half the principals who do the hiring don't live in Lowell. They hire more outsiders. While these principals and teachers might care for the students, they have no direct connection to Lowell and what it means to fight for Lowell pride and stick up for its traditions and values. They go home at night when the rest of us live in the city and take care of its wants and needs. The balance has shifted drastically and it's unhealthy. Today, the system is overloaded with outsiders who think they know education, but they don't know a damn thing about what is right for Lowell. Sadly, as Paul Tsongas once said, "If you don't do this thing right from the beginning, Lowell becomes the victim, not you." And we are at that point.

Posted by at 6:08 PM | Comments (8)

Round One: The Mihos Factor

Christy Mihos, the independent running for governor, did his thing in the first gubernatorial debate. And that was to bludgeon Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, the Republican candidate. MIhos was mildly effective, especially on The Big Dig, but it was no knockout punch.

Did you happen to see Deval Patrick's grin while Mihos was teeing off on Healey? The front-running Democrat was enjoying the show, sitting back and watching Mihos divert everyone's attention from taxes, immigration, and public safety to what Healey couldn't do as lt. governor while Big Dig finances were skyrocketing out of control.

Healey actually won the first 35 minutes of the debate. She contrasted her stance on the issues with Patrick's wide-open positions. Her best repartee was on illegal immigration, where Patrick responded like the second coming of John Kerry. "I guess both sides have good ideas" on the issue, said Patrick. The only thing is he can't make up his mind. Is this what a governor should be? I don't think so. Healey opposes in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, making it clear that the sons and daughters of Massachusetts citizens could use the tuition breaks first. Patrick would also issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, while Healey is opposed to the idea.

When Healey stays on message, she can damage Patrick's articulate, soulful and lack of substance responses on most all the key pocketbook issues concerning middle-class families. But with Mihos, the 800-pound gorilla in the room, Healey has a big problem that Patrick doesn't have to contend with. She better learn how to deal with Mihos, or Patrick's going to just sit back and coast to the corner office.

By the way, Mihos has a better tan than George Hamilton. How does he do it? And what's with Grace Ross's two difference ear rings? Is this a fashion statement, a Green Party initiation rite, or did she lose the set?

So who do you think won the first debate? I say Mihos won the screaming match, Patrick didn't lose any ground, Ross picked up a few sympathy votes, and Healey squandered a good chance at a victory by ignoring Mihos' attacks.

Posted by at 5:49 PM | Comments (3)

September 21, 2006

The Blog Is Back and so is Bernie

Sorry, we've been down with technical issues since Wednesday, Sept. 13. the blog
has been upgraded with new software and spam filter. I urge everyone to read City
Manager Bernie Lynch's response to one of my last entries before the blog went
kaputg: "Bernie's Flight from Chelmsford." The entry made a point that things
weren't going too well fiscally in Chelmsford and that Lynch made a move to Lowell
at an opportune time. After reading my post, one Lowellian chided me for the post,
saying, "What are you on John Cox's payroll?" I said I was just laying out the
fiscal facts, Lowell vs. Chelmsford. Even with a supposed $6.3 million deficit,
Lowell is in a better position to correct its problems than Chelmsford is. I made
a relevant argument that Lynch might have seen the writing on the wall and moved
on. So read the post, Lynch's response and tell me what you think.

Posted by at 4:33 PM | Comments (8)

September 14, 2006

Mass.-ed Man:: Leiberman vs. Lamont

I had a hunch the other day and it looks like it was right. I wanted to know if Massachusetts Democrats, especially the well-financed liberal ones, were getting involved in the Connecticut race for U.S. Senate, where ex-Democract Joe LIeberman, now an Independent, is running against Democrat primary winner Neil Lamont and an unknown Republican. Turns out cash is flowing liberally across state lines to the Nutmeg State, with Lieberman getting most of it, but Lamont still getting plenty of dough..
There is no U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts, and the Connecticut affair is intriguing. Democrats are hoping to retain Lieberman's seat in their quest to win control of the U.S. Senate, an unlikely happening. Mass. liberals, however, are engaged because of Lamont's one and only claim to fame: he is an anti-war Democrat and has lambasted Lieberman for his votes to support President Bush's invasion of Iraq. So the anti-war crowd is weighing in.
I called Evan Lehmann, The Sun's Washington bureau reporter, and he has begun researching the campaign finance reports. He should file a story shortly. What he has turned up, however, is some interesting data. Up until April, Lieberman had received about $216,000 in donations from Mass. residents to Lamont's $93,000. That was the last filing deadline prior to the primary, which Lamont won in a close vote. Lehmann is updating the donations. There are several big donations from Greater Lowellians to Lamont while Lieberman's biggest donors hail from the Boston suburbs. These are likely people who favor his strong stand on Israel.
It'll be interesting to see how this break downs. I believe Massachusetts Independents and Republicans might be inclined to favor Lieberman, because of his national security stance. The anti-war liberals, who want an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, favor Lamont.
To date, Lieberman that the same thing is happening in Rhode Island, where Democrats have a good chance of unseating incumbent Republican Lincoln Chaffee. Trouble is, Chaffee often votes like a Democrat, so you wonder if Rhode Islanders really care to get rid of him.

Posted by JimC at 9:24 AM | Comments (2)

September 13, 2006

Bernie's Flight from Chelmsford

Well, now we know why Bernie Lynch felt it was time to leave Chelmsford for the big city: Finances are so tight in Chelmsford, that the town is already facing a projected $1.3 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2008 - and we're only three months into fiscal year 2007!
Acting Town Managerr Kathy Speidel delivered the news Tuesday night. The $1.3 million budget deficit doesn't include the possibility of wage increases for the town's school, fire, police and DPW workers - all union contracts that are due for negotiation.
Does this constitute to a "budget crisis." Let's see. A $1.3 million shortfall, based on Chelmsford's $93 million annual budget, is a 1.4 percent gap. It is likely to grow over the next nine months. And if Chelmsford hands out union raises, it will definitely grow. That would necessistate a tax increase to cover the costs. One thing is for certain, a 2.5 percent budget increase from Proposition 2 1/2 won't cover the budget deficit, plus give workers a raise. An override might be the only option. But an override for the operational budget? Lynch disdained such practices in his years as town manager, and it's unlikely Spedel would do the same. Chelmsford is up against the tax levy, so there's little room for a tax increase above the 2.5 percent.
I don't think selectmen or school committee members are crrowing in Chelmsford over this budget scenario.
In Lowell, however, there's a different set of circumstances. In Lynch's fisrt 14 days on the job as city manager, He identified a supposed $6.3 million budget in Lowell's $281 million FY 2007 budget. This represents a 2.2 percent shortfall, compared to Chelmsford's 1.4 percent. While Lnch never termed the deficit a "crisis," - he correctly termed it a "serious challenge" - certain city councilors actually gloated over it. They were only too proud to pound their chests for vindication, laying blame for the shortfall on former City Manager John Cox who they ousted. As it turns out, the $6.3 million includes a $1 million bill in the snow-and-ice removal account and a shortfall in other revenue receipts. The snow and ice account is the only account in which municipalities can run a carryover deficit. While it's not good to do this, it's legal. Council gloaters also ignored the fact that since the 2001 economic recession, the council has voted to spend down the reserve account to balance the budget. This was essential when Lowell took an unprecedented $16,103,242 hit in state local aid in 2003. In that year, Lowell spent nearly $9 million in free cash to go along with a slight tax increase. If Lowell didn't use the frree cash, it would have needed a $1.20 increase in the tax rate to balance the books. That would have devastated many working familes of moderate means.
Councilors, at Cox's insistence, continued to use free cash to avoid raising taxes substantially. NOw it's to the point where Lowell is nearly $10 million under the tax levy cap - meaning there is a lot of room to raise tax revenue without an override — but cash poor. Lynch wants to build up cash reserves for capital projects - a wise idea - and something totally foreign to the council of the past six years. It is a change in philosophy and financial circumstance. The council shouldn't be blamed for what it did with the money in the past, since its goal was to keep taxes low to attract newcomers to the city and boost the downtown renaissance.
But the vision of the future is to build up rainy day funds for long neglected projects, like street paving and other infrustructure improvements. Personally, I see an 80 cents per $1,000 tax increase coming down the pike, to raise about $6 million. That would increase the residential tax rate to $10.87 per $1,000. Under this scenario, in two years, Lowell would have a surplus
Lynch, if he had stayed in Chelmsford, would be facing his most difficult financial stretch yet. The town is maxed out on revenue growth, so it appears, and has no room under the levy cap. Compounding the equation, is the state local aid formula for Chapter 70 education aid. It punishes Chelmsford each year for being a mature town, as opposed to Westford, a similar sized school community which receives $5 million more in education aid. Westford is classified a "rural growth" community, hence the aid difference.
In Lowell, Lynch has room to grow the city's revenues, through tax increases and budget efficiencies and public service consolidation. The city also has several key projects on the drawing board, including the Hamilton Canal District and Judicial Center, that could yield future financial rewards.
The bottom line: Lynch was wise to leave Chelmsford when he did. Lowell's fiscal future is brighter than Chelmsford's.

Posted by JimC at 9:21 AM | Comments (9)

September 6, 2006

Harvard: Haven for Terrorist Speech?

First we have one prestigious school, Boston University, rewarding convicted murderers with college degrees while they are serving time in Massachusetts prisons, and now we have the creme de la creme, Harvard College, inviting Mohammed Khatami, the former Iranian leader and avowed hater of all things Americans, to speak on the eve of "9/11." Everyone in Cambridge thinks this is a kick. Yeah, it's a kick in the face to the families of the 54 Massachusetts victims who died five years ago on 9/11 and almost everyone who doesn't go to school at Harvud, like in dud. Gov. Mitt Romney has refused to provide state security for the known terrorist's visit, but the Boston Police Department, which has never met a private detail it didn't like, has stepped forward. Good for Massachusetts. A terrorist will be safe in our state. I can see Osama smirking right now. On the eve of his greatest villainy, that started right here at Logan Airport, with a flight commandered by Dracut's own Capt. John Ogonowski, Khatami will get to sow the seeds of his anti-American hatred. Oh, he'll toss in a few bouquets, like how the Iranians want to be part of the world process but George Bush and his administration have refused to accept how other people think the world should be run. Yeah, blame it on Bush, just like conspiracy freaks blame 9/11 on our own government. Remember, Harvard is the same college that forced out its president, Lawrence Summers, because he wasn't politically correct. The move has cost them nearly $750 million in donations from Summers' friends. Of course, Harvard is worried; it has the largest endowment of any school in the world. It can do what it wants. It can put its finger in the eye of all Americans. On most occasions, I can agree with Harvud. I am all for academic freedom when it explores the truth and honesty of what we need as human beings to enlighten mankind and to learn thow to improve ourselves, science, medicine, etc. I am not for frivolity, or "shock" classes where impressionable students are given a pack of swill to swallow as if it is the truth. Revisionist history is another thing I abhor, and Harvud seems to excell at all of these things. Granted, most Harvud students can see through the crap, but others can't. They spread falsehoods like a disease.. Some will listen to Khatami on the eve of 9/11 and take his words as gospel, just like they used to admire Drr. Cornel West, the Harvud professor who sat on his hands for years and made up things until he left for Princeton. His farewell caused a minor uproar, because some liberal whackos thought he was underappreciated. Good for Princeton, is what I say. But I can't for the life of me imagine why Harvud would want a terrorist to speak on the eve of 9/11. Is it to satisfy their curiousity? Is it to make the school stand out on 9/11? Is it to applaud Iran in its development of nuclear weapons to wipe out Israel and western civilization? I agree with Romney. The state shouldn't spend a dime in protecting this guy. Let Harvud pick up the cost. They want to hear Khatami so let them k-pay.

Posted by JimC at 9:12 AM | Comments (5)

September 3, 2006

Stable Update: Two setbacks, one winner

People have asked me to give them an update from time to time on G-Biscuit Stable, of which I am a part owner. In my last post on the topic, I mentioned how Purple Shamrock fizzled in his July race. Well, Shamrock came right back two weeks ago and won in impressive fashion in a $10,000 claiming race at Suffolk Downs. On the same card, Lucky Geisha finished second by a half-length in an $8,000 race. So the stable made some money that day. However, we also had some bad news. Our allowance champion, Tropadaro, suffered a slight fracture in his right hind leg, and Purple Pirate, an unraced 3-year-old being prepared for his debut, also suffered a leg fracture. Both likely occurred in training. While both horses can and will be saved, they are done for awhile. Tropadaro had won both his races, earning close to $40,000, since his purchase in May. He was operated on Wednesday in New Hampshire, where a screw was placed in his leg to reattach the bone. All went well. He will face 6 months of recuperation on a Runnymeade Farm in North Hampton, N.H. The prognosis is a 90 percent return to his prior form. As for Purple Pirate, his injury can best be healed with a ong layoff on a farm. He was shipped to a Long Island farm that caters to disabled children,.
He will stand there and get the attention of all the kids, who learn skills by grooming and caring for the horse. Pirate might be back in 9 months, but the chances are 50-50 he will race again. We'll see.

As for the rest of the stable, Lucky Geisha runs on Labor Day at Suffolk,
while Gee's Bend and Shamrock are waiting patiently for their next race. Actxpresso, our other allowance champ, is training forwardly for a return to the races after a year's layoff. She is expected to run at Laurel Race Course in Maryland in October.
Have you ever been to the race track? Why not?

Posted by JimC at 9:21 AM

Gubernatorial Race: From turtles to hares?

The Sunday Column in The Sun laid if all out: The Democratic race for governor is heating up and I believe the barbs - and bombshells - are going to be launched this week. Reilly needs to make up some ground on Patrick, who is lodged on top in most polls. Gabrieli's surge in the polls is strong but questionable: he lacks the ground organization of both Reilly and Patrick. Plus, people who watch TV ads don't necessarily vote. So Thursday's televised debate could bring out the best - and worst - int he candidates. They've been jawboning on health care, taxes, education and boy are their differences. The question is: who is going to break away from this tight pack and how will they do it? If you were Reilly, Patrick or Gabrieli, what would you do in the upcoming debate to win over the crowd? Pick a side and let me know just how good a political expert you are. If you've read today's Column, you know what I think.

Posted by JimC at 9:15 AM | Comments (5)

September 1, 2006

Foreclosure Fright: It's spreading

I am astounded by all the foreclosure notices being published in the legal classified section of The Sun. On Wednesday, there were 10 legal notices. ON Thursday, there were eight. Over the past month of August, the trend was building steadily: two or three a day. Now it's up to 7 or 8.

Richard Howe Jr.,, the Register of Deeds for Middlesex County, has been writing up the trend for nearly 18 months on his Registry blog. It can be found on the web site www.lowelldeeds.com. His observations are based on statistical data the Registry has collected for years.. While the factors behind the rising foreclosure notices vary, one stands out: property owners have maxed out the equity in their homes, afterr refinancing, and at present the loan rates are rising while property values are declining. According to Howe, this is happening to many people who bought property in the 2002-2003 housing boom period. People who took out 5-year adjustable rate mortgages will be hit hardest, particularly if they are trying to refinance at today's higher rates. "Some people are now mxed out on their credit. They financed 100 percent of their homes and as the value increased, they refinanced to go on trips to Disney World or used the money for other things other than improving their property. Now that the values are coming down, they have lost equity and find themselves in a bind. The owe more than the property is worth," said Howe.

Howe's statistics on foreclosures are telling: in 2005, the Registry filed 356 foreclosures; Howe predicts, based on monthly statistics, that 2006 will see an increase to 568 foreclosures. He sees the number increasing in 2007 when more 5-year-adjustable mortgages come due. In 1992, when the housing market bottomed out and the country entered a recession, the Lowell area had 1,036 foreclosures filed at the Registry. Howe said it's likely the 1992 figure could be eclipsed in the next two-year period.

The worst hit in this scenario is the immigrant population.. "These people probably couldn't afford a conventional bank mortgage in the first place, so they sought out loans from national lending firms. They financed 100 percent of their homes with adjustable mortgages,: he said. The payments are now bearing down on them and they can't make them. Accorrding to Howe, 41 percent of the 37 foreclosure notices filed at the Registry in June were related to the immigrant population. "It's likely to increase in the future," he said.

Howe cautioned against panic, but said the foreclosure problem needs a contingency plan. He's been warning about the problem for over a year. "People have to understand that a correction in the housing market is inevitable. What goes up usually comes down. It's a pattern that has happened in the past and will happen again," he said.

From my standpoint, the attorney general's office has done a good job of cracking down on predatory lenders who exploit people who aren't credit worthy. Two such lenders have been shut down in Lawrence. But the problem is how to prevent such predatory schemes from being initiated in the first place. With tougher bankruptcy laws in place, property owners who are pushed into foreclosure are going to be ruined for years to come. they still must make good on credit card debts they've run up by using equity in their homes. I don't know what the solution is, but I'll be assigning several reporters to look into this problem to guage the severity of it and what can be done.

Posted by JimC at 10:04 AM | Comments (2)